Process of producing coated fabrics and product thereof



Patented Mar. 17, 1942 PROCESS OF PRODUCING COATED FABRICS AND PRODUCT THEREOF Alan E. Murray, Wilmington, Del.

N0 Drawing. Application October 31, 1938, Serial No. 237,887

6 Claims. (Cl. 91-68) My invention relates particularly to a process and product thereof, whereby fabrics of all kinds may be treated in an advantageous way and having novel properties. i

The object of my invention isto provide a process and product whereby fabrics may be obtained of an advantageous character. .The oblect is, furthermore, to provide fabrics having novel properties and which have characteristics not hitherto attained. The object is, furthermore, particularly to obtain fabrics, no matter how rough and uneven the surface may be, which are, in accordance with my invention, provided with a coating, which may be extremely thin, of

-rubber whereby the fabrics obtained may retain substantially their original appearance and yet be washable so as to wash foreign materials, such as dirt, from the surface of the same. Another object is to provide such fabrics whereby, if desired, notwithstanding the coating of rubber,

fibres of the fabric may extend through the rubber coating and above the surface thereof so as 'to aid in retaining the original appearance and invention will appear from the detailed descrip-.

tion of the same hereinafter.

While my invention is capable of embodiment in many different forms, for the purpose of illusknown in the trade as Hydrocal, which is a very highly dehydrated plaster of Paris ground to an extreme fineness. For this purpose any other kind of inert dust may be used for a part or all of the plaster of Paris, if deemed desirable, however, for instance kieselguhr or cotton flock powder or lycopodium powder or colloidal clays, The dust is then largely shaken off or dusted off, as, for example, by slightly rubbing or beating two dusted surfaces of the fabric together. This leaves a slightly white cast to the dusted surface in the case where white powder has been used. This dustiness of the surface of the fabric prevents the penetration of the coating given as hereinafter described, and in the case of the plaster of Paris dust combines with the water present in the coating material due to the extraction of water from the latter by the plaster of Paris and becoming comb ned with the plaster of Paris as water of crystallization in the setting thereof. The surface of the fibre having .been thus prepared with the dusting material, I apply a coating of any desired type of latex, that is to say-any rubber material carried in water suspension, as, for example, any of the latex materials set forth in the patents to Philip Schidrowitz, Nos. 1,443,149, 1,682,857 and 1,939,635, but I'preferably use what is known as a pre-vulcanized latex known under .the name of Vultex for this purpose and which has a strong ammoniaodor. h s latex material is preferably applied in dilute form, that is to say containing one part by vol-' ume of the latex and four parts by volume of the water. The water used for this purpose should be preferably distilled water or at least water I without any chlorine content, as the latter would tend to coagulate the contents. The latexmaterial is applied to the fabric in any desired way, as, for instance, by wiping the same over the surface or spraying it thereon until a thin coating has thus been applied. It will be found that owing to the presence of the dust. the liquid will not penetrate beneath the superficial portion of the fabric to any appreciable extent. When the material has dried, by the evaporation of the water therefrom, it will be found that the fabric has received an extremely thin protective coating of the latex or rubber without materially changing the surface appearance of the fabric. Where the fabric has, for instance, a 'dull or matt surface this same appearance will be found to be retained. If it is desired to produce a fabric havin the superficial fibres or fuzz projecting from g the surface of the fabric, this can be done by applying or rubbing a wash ,over the surface of the fabric while. the surface. of the fabric is still wetwith the coating material as abovedescribed. In other words, this wash can be applied before the coating material has been allowed to dry to any extent or it can be applied after the coating material has been partially allowed to dry. The wash used for this purpose is comprised preferably of one part by volume of the same undiluted latex used as previously described, diluted with twenty parts by volume of water. After this washing .has been accomplished and the fabric has been allowed to dry, it will be found that the superficial fibres of the fabric project outwardly from the rubber coating, preserving in minute detail the original appearance of the it has been found that the fabric is still somewhat porous, the porosity being relative to the thickness of the coating applied.. These fabrics are particularly desirable as decorative fabrics, wall fabrics, etc. A

This type of procedure can also be applied to paper instead of the fabrics above specified.

Furthermore, any of the above fabrics, such, for example, as woven cotton, linen or wool or paper, can, after being coated as above: with -the powder and then'the latex, and before the final drying of the latter, be effectively bonded to leather in that condition because of the superficial position of the latex, which otherwise would so penetrate the fabric as not,to be available for efiective bonding of the fabric to the leather.

While I have described my'invention above in fabric a coating of substantially inert dust, then applying thereto an aqueous suspension of rubber, then washing of! a part of the aqueous suspension of rubber with the same aqueous suspension of rubber but diluted'with water to leave only a thin film on the fibresleaving the mesh detail I wish it to be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the same.

Iclaim:

1. The process which comprises applying to a fabric a coating of a substantially inert dust, thenapplying thereto an aqueous suspension of rubber, then washing of! a part of the aqueous suspension of rubber to leave only a thin film on open and the nap relatively uncoated, and drying the fabric so that in the finished product the said fibres are covered with only a thin rubber film leaving the mesh open.

4. The process which comprises applying to a fabric a coating of dust of plaster-of Paris, then applying thereto an aqueous suspension of rubber, then washing of! a part of the aqueous suspension of rubber with the same aqueous suspension of rubber but diluted with water to leave only a thin film on the fibres leaving the mesh open and the nap relatively uncoated, and drying the fabric so that in the finished product the said fibres are covered with only a thin rubber film leaving the mesh open.

5. The process which comprises applying to a fabric a coating of substantially inert dust, then applying thereto an aqueous suspension of prevulcanized rubber, then washing of! a part of the aqueous suspension of rubber to leave only a thin film on the fibres leaving the mesh open and the naprelatively uncoated, and drying the fabric so that in the finished product the said fibres are covered with only a thin rubber film leaving the mesh open.

6. The process which comprises applying to a fabric a coating of dust of plaster of Paris, then applying thereto an aqueous suspension of pre-' vulcanized rubber, then washing of! a part of the aqueous suspension of rubber to leave only a thin film on the fibres leaving the mesh open and the nap relatively uncoated, and drying the. 

